Showing posts with label Palestine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Palestine. Show all posts

Sunday, November 18, 2018

Review: Black and White / Thoughts in Cartoon by Mohammad Sabaaneh


by Mike Rhode

Black and White / Thoughts in Cartoon by Mohammad Sabaaneh, Washington, DC: Jerusalem Fund Gallery Al-Quds. November 17 – December 15, 2018. https://www.thejerusalemfund.org/21159/november-cartoons

Mohammad Sabaaneh is a self-taught Palestinian cartoonist, who, like all good editorial cartoonists, often finds himself in trouble with both the Israeli and the Palestinian governments. Notwithstanding the need to teach art, and the regular seizure of his artwork when he returns from travelling (and thus he says he only carries reproductions personally), Sabaaneh has been able to compile a book, White and Black: Political Cartoons from Palestine (JustWorldBooks, 2017; $20). While touring the East Coast for this publication, he stopped in Washington to introduce a small exhibit of his linocut art.

Malcolm
Linocut is a negative printing process made by using sharp tools to engrave a piece of linoleum, and then inking it, and pressing it into paper. Sabaaneh was taught the technique by World War 3 Illustrated’s Seth Tobocman in New York. He took the gravers back with him to Palestine, found linoleum from a hospital’s floors, and found a substitute for the ink that was unavailable at home, and began making art. In his artist's statement, he wrote, “When I do linocut, I feel like I am giving a gift to myself! It is so exciting when you carve the linoleum, then cover it with the ink, then press it… and just waiting to find the result. No-one around you understands what exactly you are doing. I feel that I am creating a version of myself as well as creating art. The amount of wet black ink on the paper reflects me, and reflects the world around us. My daily political cartoon is influenced by the linocut technique and I like the results. Linocut is also one of the most important techniques for producing political posters.”


The Weight of Occupation
The exhibit consists of fewer than twenty pieces hung around hallways in a small office area, some of which seemed thematically out of place such as “Malcolm” which is a portrait of the 1960s black American activist Malcolm X. Others are what one expects from a cartoonist who refuses to collaborate with those he considers occupiers, to the extent of turning down exhibits with Israeli cartoonists in Europe. “The Dictator’s Melody” in which a uniformed man conducts an orchestra as bombs fall behind them, or “The Weight of Occupation” which shows a bald man carrying a slab engraved with tanks and bombs, fit into Sabaaneh’s main concern – freedom for Palestine. However, he notes, “I think as a Palestinian cartoonist I should not rely on my topic. Yes, Palestine is one of the most important topics around the world, and that has helped me to spread my art all around the world. But as an artist I believe that my art should consist not just of a strong message, but it also should be good art.”

The Dictator’s Melody

I found the strongest pieces in the show to be two pieces, “Resisting settler colonialism everywhere” and “She carries remembered worlds,” each depicting generic Palestinian people, a man and a woman, with their bodies fading into buildings. Both evoke a strong sense of place and purpose, more so than “Can you chain a heart?”, an image of a heart wrapped in chain. The exhibit also contains a long “History of Palestine Frieze” which is about five feet long and shows a history of the occupation via cartoon figures. Sabaaneh says he plans to do more large-scale works like this, and has recently completed one on the subject of women.

She carries remembered worlds

Resisting settler colonialism everywhere
 
Can you chain a heart?
At the exhibit opening, Cartoonist Rights Network International’s Bro Russell interviewed Sabaaneh, who then also took questions. (The Fund has said that a transcript will be soon made available on their website). The audience was made up of students and people already familiar with the Palestinian cause, which Sabaaneh says actually works against him, because most of the people who come to see him at a talk or an exhibit are already convinced and do not need to argue with him or his work. For those not familiar with his work, the exhibit and the book are a good introduction to a world where political cartoonists still matter enough to be regularly threatened with more than job loss.


History of Palestine Frieze segment


(This review was written for the International Journal of Comic Art 20:2, but this version appears on both the IJOCA and ComicsDC websites on November 18, 2018, while the exhibit is still open for viewing.)

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Leila Abdelrazaq's talk at Busboys & Poets

Palestinian-American cartoonist Leila Abdelrazaq gave a book talk at Busboys & Poets on her new graphic novel, Baddawi. In Baddawi, she recounts the experiences of her Palestinian father in a Lebanese refugee camp. Here's a recording of the talk, and some photographs are at the end of this post.

The sponsoring Middle East Institute's website described the event as...



The Middle East Institute, in collaboration with Bus Boys and Poets, is pleased to host Leila Abdelrazaq for a presentation and discussion about her newly released graphic novel Baddawi. In this beautifully illustrated book, referred to as "the first book-length graphic work written/drawn in English by a Palestinian," Leila Abdelrazaq explores her father's childhood in the 1960s and '70s growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. The story is told from a boy's eye view as he witnesses the world crumbling around him and attempts to carry on, forging his own path in the midst of terrible uncertainty.

About the Book: Raised in a refugee camp called Baddawi in northern Lebanon, Ahmad is just one of the many thousands of refugee children born to Palestinians who fled their homeland after the war in 1948 established the state of Israel. His dogged pursuit of education and opportunity echoes the journey of the Palestinian people, as they make the best of their circumstances while remaining steadfast in their determination to one day return to their homeland. 

The event is free. No registration required. 

Biographies: 
Leila Abdelrazaq is a Chicago-based Palestinian artist and organizer. She is a recent graduate and majored in theatre arts and Arabic studies at DePaul University. During her time at DePaul, Leila served in her chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), helping to pass the DePaul Divest referendum. She is also a member of the National Students for Justice in Palestine steering committee. When not drawing comics, studying Arabic, or working with SJP, Leila enjoys carpentry, painting, breaking things, and making a mess. Her website is www.lalaleila.com and she tweets @lalalaleila.

Zeina Azzam (moderator) is executive director of The Jerusalem Fund. She has worked in the fields of education and Middle East affairs for over thirty years, largely at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University, where she served as director of educational outreach. Her works have appeared in Al Jazeera English, Jadaliyya, Mizna, Calliope, and Social Education.










Leila Abdelrazaq - map of family's home.

Leila Abdelrazaq drew her father being a typical child in the refugee camp.

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Leila Abdelrazaq uses shadows as a motif.

Leila Abdelrazaq wants the book to reflect the Palestinian right of return and not as fulfilling an American dream.









Saturday, April 18, 2015

Supporting Mohammad Saba'aneh



Apr 17, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK0W8ttxND0

Palestinian cartoonist Mohammad Saba'aneh, talks about how global support can help cartoonists in distress. Kal, Mike Rhode, Ann Telnaes and Matt Wuerker talk about the importance of putting the spotlight on cartoonists like Mohammad.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

June 20: Daring to Draw: An Evening with Political Cartoonists from Around the World

I'll be attending this.

Daring to Draw: An Evening with Political Cartoonists from Around the World
Monday, June 20, 2011
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Holeman Lounge, The National Press Club
Free for Press Club Members, Non Members: $10
Free for DC Conspiracy Members and any other DC cartoonists (enter discount code DOS)

Daring to Draw: An Evening with Political Cartoonists from Around the World

Press Club Hosts Political Cartoonists From Around the World

Political cartoonists have the unique ability to capture complex issues in a picture and a few short words. In many parts of the world, they contribute political commentary that few print or broadcast journalists would dare.

The U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is hosting a group of 20 political cartoonists from North Africa, the Middle East, and South and Central Asia. During their three weeks in the U.S., they will meet with fellow cartoonists around the country and get a taste of American culture.

We invite you to a welcoming reception hosted jointly by the U.S. Department of State and the National Press Club. The event will begin at 5 p.m. in the Holeman Lounge at the National Press Club. A brief program will begin at 6 p.m. The international cartoonists' pieces will be on display and they will be available to discuss their work and experiences.A cash http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifbar will be available and hors d'oeuvres will be served.

This event is free to members of the National Press Club and $10 for non members.



And I'm sure this article refers to a disinvited guest-

Gaza cartoonist says US consul canceled training invite
Ma'an News Agency 18/06/2011